shoot-through umbrella q's

[goodoneian]

is it normal for a shoot-though umbrella to reflect more light then it lets pass through? from what i've seen on various pictures on the internet, there isn't much light being thrown back, but on mine there is. i can post examples if needed

 

[Sw1tchFX]

I ran a little test to see if I got more light from one method or the other, the only difference was that it was softer as a shoot-thru.

 

[goodoneian]

yeah i did the same, and came to the same conclusion but i still get a bit more from reflecting rather than shoot-through. could just be my umbrella i guess?

 

[JerryPH]

It's all about the quality, not the quantity.

Shoot through will be less "powerful" but softer. If I need to shoot a larger area, I bounce it instead of shooting through it.

As far as "normal", depends on the umbrella. If your umbrella is single white with reflective surface on the inside, yeah, it will reflect more than it will let through. If it is the kind of umbrella that has multiple layers and the underside of your umbrella is white material, it will reflect less and let more through.

I prefer the latter. 4 out of my 6 umbrellas are 2 layers where the white has no reflective surface and the outer cover is black one the outside and reflective silver on the inside. For shoot through, these work better. For bounce, the other models work better, though all 6 can be used for bounce purposes.

 

[goodoneian]

hmm well this is the exact umbrella i have

http://www.mpex.com/browse.cfm/4,4643.html

i'm really not sure which of the two types of umbrellas you're describing, but i would assume it's the one that reflects more than it lets through.

 

[benhasajeep]

With the umbrella having a tight weave and being white in color you will get a larger bounce. Also note when bouncing light the umbrella is concentrating the light as its reflected out. Shooting through the umbrella it is difusing the light (spreading it out). This is purely due to the shape of the umbrella. So yes you will get less light shooting through the white umbrella. Not all white umbrellas are designed to shoot through, hence the mentioning of 2 layers or even more. Some people don't want the stray light bouncing around in the studio. So they get the more expensive ones with dark covers.

I have a mix of both transparent white ones, silver ones, and a couple deep ones that concentrate the light even a little bit more [C vs. ( shape]. I have a couple soft boxes too but thats about it. Still collecting lighting stuff as I can.

 

[goodoneian]

ohh, okay. i understand now pretty much. i just though that you had to have a certain kind of umbrella to reflect, and a certain kind to shoot through, but i guess you can do both with just one. i'm still learning all of this lighting stuff and different kids of equipment

thank you jerry and benhasajeep for clearing that up for me

also, what kind of umbrella would you recommend for strictly shooting though?

 

[benhasajeep]

ohh, okay. i understand now pretty much. i just though that you had to have a certain kind of umbrella to reflect, and a certain kind to shoot through, but i guess you can do both with just one. i'm still learning all of this lighting stuff and different kids of equipment

thank you jerry and benhasajeep for clearing that up for me

also, what kind of umbrella would you recommend for strictly shooting though?

The one you have is just fine for shooting through. If you find that your flash or strobe is firing at full strength. And your still not getting the light output you need. Move it closer to your subject. If you find that you need it so close to the subject its in the picture. Then its probably not such a good umbrella to shoot through (or your flash or strobe is a very weak unit). But from the link you posted I am pretty sure its just like all the others with just single white material.

The nice thing about digital is you can experiment and shoot all day long. And your only out the time spent. I learned more about lighting by just doing it. Books and web advice is nice and you can learn principles. But you will get so much more by practicing. Just make observations on what affects what. Pick any object. See what you can do with it. Doesn't have to be a person to get good ideas on what does what. My basketball has never complained once about having to model all day long. :mrgreen:

 

[JerryPH]

ohh, okay. i understand now pretty much. i just though that you had to have a certain kind of umbrella to reflect, and a certain kind to shoot through, but i guess you can do both with just one. i'm still learning all of this lighting stuff and different kids of equipment

thank you jerry and benhasajeep for clearing that up for me

also, what kind of umbrella would you recommend for strictly shooting though?

A white silk one. The ones with a little bit of silver on the inside will work near as well, but are made to be more effective bouncers vs shoot through.

BTW... www.strobist.com << the answer to 99% of your questions and maybe the answers to a couple hundred questions that you haven't run up against yet.

 

[andrew99]

The other advantage of a shoot-through umbrella is that you can get it closer to the subject without poking their eye out, which makes the light source relatively larger (since it's closer), and therefor softer.

 

[Big Mike]

Try a softbox, a much better tool for controlling light.

 

[goodoneian]

i've been thinking about getting a softbox actually. the only thing that makes umbrellas more appealing to me is their far cheaper price